A number of different classes of point of sale (POS) peripheral devices exist that are configured to communicate with electronic computing systems for the purpose of communicating information in a retail environment. A non-exhaustive list of extant classes of POS devices includes scanners, printers, magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) devices, magnetic stripe readers (MSRs), signature capture (SIG CAP) devices, cash drawers, and the like.
Software applications related to retail POS activities advantageously communicate with POS devices to complete sales events. For example, an inventory of items to be purchased is collected by scanning information displayed on a product package such as is found in a universal product code (UPC). In addition, payment information can be collected through the use of MSRs and SIG CAPs. The use of such devices results in more efficient POS experiences, better inventory control, and the like.
These different peripheral devices are configured to communicate with computing machines that execute the above mentioned software applications using a particular protocol or drive model. One type of protocol is known as OLE for POS or OPOS. Software applications that are capable, for example, of communicating with a device that employs OPOS typically has a layer that handles communication with the OPOS device. However, not all peripheral devices employ the same communication protocol. Therefore, systems with peripheral devices that do not have a common interface protocol necessarily require modifications to the software application in order to function properly. Such modifications can be costly and cumbersome to implement. What is needed, then, is a way to interface peripheral devices without requiring any modifications to any software applications that are configured to access the devices.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.